The Tavern

I won with an ogre wanderer (v0.6) and a few chaos knights (Sprint). I lost an awesome ogre hunter online on Zot:5, because I rushed. I love ogres. Yes, I'm insane.

I play them as glass cannons in regular crawl. And I play them as invokers in Sprint.

http://crawl.chaosforge.org/index.php?t ... erer_guide

I went about two weeks trying to play Ogre Fire Elementalists, mostly because I was salivating at the potential of offensive diversity (huge spiked club, throwing large rocks and blasting away with fire) but could never last much past the lair with them. CK might be the way to go with my next try, but it'll have to wait.

My only good attempt at an Ogre was OgVM of Sif which I won and rather enjoyed. I liked it as a pure caster, I wasn't tempted by the lure of GSC (a demon whip and shield is probably better anyway) or throwing large rocks and didn't really ever try and train fighting. Considering their terrible defences but good spellcasting apt, blasting things with conjurations rather than ever getting into melee range at all seemed like a good way to go about it. I would imagine FE, IE, Cj[ice] are good for the same reason, and I've seen OgSu played quite successfully as well.

A demon whip is a rare weapon outside of the demonic branches and it does less than half the damage of a GSC. And a GSC of speed is probably the most powerful weapon in the game. Trog tends to give randart clubs more often now. Besides, there's nothing like smashing in Mara's skull in 2 turns.

It's not rare to find a demon whip on some hell knight somewhere before too long (or you can dip into Pan and get one from a balrug reasonably easily), and they have a lower min delay (and only require 10 M&F skill to GSC's 22 if I remember my attack delay formulae right). But if you're going pure melee, then yes, going Oka or Trog and hoping for a GSC of speed is a nice plan.

Demon whip requires 12 skill to get to its minimum delay of 5, and giant spiked club requires 22 to get to its minimum delay of 7.

While the real appeal of demon whips is the ability to hide behind the safety of a shield, on my next ogre impatience will probably drive me to go with a giant spiked club of pain and kill things in as few keypresses as I can comfortably manage.

What's unfortunate is that both demon whip and eveningstar (the 2 best maces to use with shields) are quite rare find (my last kobe never found a demon whip andthe only eveningstar was gifted to him).

OgHu is my favorite Ogre start - the large rocks and nets take care of most early uniques and threats without a problem (you can oneshot Sigmund and Orc Priests at XL 1, for example). Put all your level up points into INT, and pick Sif, Vehu, or Kiku and start training casting. If you get the shoals, there's a chance of steel javelins (also a chance of being killed by the guy with them, though) which are viable against any enemy (large rocks are good just about the whole game too). Ogres actually have a really tough weapon choice, as they are EXTREMELY good at shield use (they have no penalty for a regular shield at lvl 9, compared with 15 for a normal sized character, and no penalty for a large shield at 15 skill, compared to 25(!) for a regular character) and desperately need defense, but also have free access to the best two-handed weapon in the game.

I have a lvl 19 OgHu of Kiku sitting in the shoals right now - pretty strong character BUT I've used Revivification about 5 times already in tight spots, and burned about 20 max HP (not that big of a deal for an Ogre). The version I'm playing on is pre Revivification nerf (it uses a percent of your HP instead of a flat number, which is really bad for Ogres), so post-nerf I would have lost around 40 max HP already. If it wasn't for that change, Reviv/melee ogre would definitely be a winnable strategy.

I really want to like ogres, but they're just bad. Even more so with the recent trunk change capping robes' enchant values at +2, which means your AC is guaranteed to suck until you find a nice dragon armor. (Or troll hide, but ogres are already hard up for food without that increasing it.)

I think Ogres should be given better spellcasting aptitudes.

There are randart robes with higer AC+ than base AC.

Mychaelh wrote:There are randart robes with higer AC+ than base AC.

True, but finding a randart is more of a crapshoot than finding a halfway decent robe and a handful of Enchant Armor scrolls.

Maybe ogres could get natural AC bonuses as they level up, as their skin toughens.

Oh well, there are enough other races to keep me busy anyway.

Well I'm trying my first Ogre CK and I've got him up to Level 19, the furthest I've ever gotten one. Problem is, I'm sitting on a pile of gold and I haven't run into one single shop through 20 levels and several branches. I'm starting to get clobbered on initial contact with bands of stuff, not to mention I've already run from Mara (Level 19) and Boris (Vault:5). Only randarts I've found are a cursed -5 robe, a good spear that also has +TELE and two scrolls of acquirement that gave me shields. I think I missed a labyrinth or a bazaar due to a shaft and I also found a Wizard's Laboratory that was the fleshy one.. it just freaked me out so I didn't stay in there long.

Ogrethorpe.txt: (22.34 KiB) Downloaded 19 times

tcjsavannah wrote:Well I'm trying my first Ogre CK and I've got him up to Level 19, the furthest I've ever gotten one. Problem is, I'm sitting on a pile of gold and I haven't run into one single shop through 20 levels and several branches. I'm starting to get clobbered on initial contact with bands of stuff, not to mention I've already run from Mara (Level 19) and Boris (Vault:5). Only randarts I've found are a cursed -5 robe, a good spear that also has +TELE and two scrolls of acquirement that gave me shields. I think I missed a labyrinth or a bazaar due to a shaft and I also found a Wizard's Laboratory that was the fleshy one.. it just freaked me out so I didn't stay in there long.

Ogrethorpe.txt

Clear out Elf 1-7, leaving the 7 vault for later, just be CAREFUL in open areas (elf knights actually do a ton of damage if you aren't careful); you'll probably find a shop or two there. Snake is also a possibility for a shop, and you could probably clear the whole thing. After that, wipe out Crypt with dispel undead. You definitely have a chance to take this guy all the way to Zot:5 if you get some lucky drops.

danr wrote:I think Ogres should be given better spellcasting aptitudes.

They do have +2 to general spellcasting (3rd best spellcasting aptitude) ,and actually decent starting Int. Just leave all the skills off and only explicitly train Spc. You can actually can handle most caster jobs pretty well, it just doesn't seem like it at first with the -3 aptitude in all schools.

RangerC wrote:OgHu is my favorite Ogre start... Put all your level up points into INT, and pick Sif, Vehu, or Kiku and start training casting... Ogres actually have a really tough weapon choice, as they are EXTREMELY good at shield use (they have no penalty for a regular shield at lvl 9, compared with 15 for a normal sized character, and no penalty for a large shield at 15 skill, compared to 25(!) for a regular character)

Don't you need level 1 spellcasting or a memorized spell to join Sif Muna?
And for shield penalty, are you talking about casting success rates and EV?

tormodpwns wrote:
RangerC wrote:OgHu is my favorite Ogre start... Put all your level up points into INT, and pick Sif, Vehu, or Kiku and start training casting... Ogres actually have a really tough weapon choice, as they are EXTREMELY good at shield use (they have no penalty for a regular shield at lvl 9, compared with 15 for a normal sized character, and no penalty for a large shield at 15 skill, compared to 25(!) for a regular character)

Don't you need level 1 spellcasting or a memorized spell to join Sif Muna?
And for shield penalty, are you talking about casting success rates and EV?

Sif needs 1 lvl of Casting, but that's easy to get from scroll reading by the temple for an Ogre most of the time (the +2 Spc aptitude helps).

The shield penalty is used for both casting and EV - 0 EV penalty, 0 casting penalty. So even with -1 Shield Aptitude Ogres make the best large shield using casters.

Henzell says re: Shield Penalty

(1/3/5 for bucklers/shields/large shields) minus shield skill divided by 3/5/7/9 (ogres/humans/kobolds/spriggans).

The only tough part is building up the initial shields skill since you have to start with a -3 EV shield that hoses your casting pretty badly. Best way around it is to get some XP in your pool and let a bat attack you a bunch of times. Getting 6 levels is easy (if tedious) and then you are good to go (-1 EV is a minor problem).

Sif worship indeed requires a memorized spell (which requires a level of spellcasting), but that's easy enough to acquire.

Alright, I've gotten my Ogre CK three runes and cleared out levels 1-27. So the big question is: does he have what it takes to tackle Zot, or do I need to beef him up more? After the initial randart drought, I've had quite a few, but I've never gotten any weapon better than the good ol' spiked club.

Code:: Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.7.1-1-g7ce9b19 character file. Ogrethorpe the Bludgeoner (Ogre Chaos Knight) Turns: 92276, Time: 17:31:17 HP 221/221 AC 12 Str 26 Exp: 25/737470 (1602), need: 88079 MP 42/42 EV 30 Int 19 God: Makhleb [******] Gold 4943 SH 0 Dex 18 Spells: 16 memorised, 10 levels left Res.Fire : . . . See Invis. : . S - +5,+9 giant spiked club Res.Cold : + . . Warding : . v - +4 robe {MR} Life Prot.: . . . Conserve : + (shield restricted) Res.Poison: + Res.Corr. : + X - +2 cap (curse) Res.Elec. : . Clarity : . a - +2 cloak {rCorr, Cons} Spirit.Shd: . Stasis : . (gloves unavailable) Sust.Abil.: . . Rnd.Telep. : . (boots unavailable) Res.Mut. : . Ctrl.Telep.: . Y - amulet of Chiewk {Gourm EV+7 Int+2 Acc+2} Res.Rott. : . Levitation : . A - +4 ring of dexterity Gourmand : + Ctrl.Flight: . q - ring "Shreyr" {rPois rC+ Int+3} @: quick, swift, extremely resistant to hostile enchantments, stealthy A: unfitting armour, horns 3, fast metabolism 2, saprovore 1, tough skin 1, Str +2 a: Minor Destruction, Lesser Servant of Makhleb, Major Destruction, Greater Servant of Makhleb, Renounce Religion You are on level 27 of the Dungeon. You worship Makhleb. Makhleb is exalted by your worship. You are not hungry. You have visited 11 branches of the dungeon, and seen 71 of its levels. You have visited 1 Labyrinth. You have visited 2 portal chambers: bailey, wizlab. You have collected 7502 gold pieces. You have spent 2579 gold pieces at shops. Inventory: Hand weapons r - a +0,+5 orcish great mace of holy wrath C - the spear "Ficighipp" {holy, rC- MR EV+3 Dex+3} (You found it on level 8 of the Vaults) It has been blessed by the Shining One to cause great damage to the undead and demons. It affects your evasion (+3). It affects your dexterity (+3). It makes you vulnerable to cold. It increases your resistance to enchantments. D - the +3,+2 quick blade "Uxeesaust" {stab, MR SInv} (You acquired it on level 2 of the Shoals) It inflicts extra damage upon your enemies. It increases your resistance to enchantments. It enhances your eyesight. S - a +5,+9 giant spiked club (weapon) U - the +8,+8 bow of Krishna "Sharnga" {speed, Dex+3 SInv} (You found it in a Labyrinth) Attacks with this weapon take half as long as usual. It affects your dexterity (+3). It enhances your eyesight. It once belonged to a foreign god. It works best with special arrows which are not generally available. Missiles g - 23 runed arrows x - 3 +0 large rocks (quivered) z - 10 +5 javelins E - 14 +4 darts of flame L - 6 +0 throwing nets Armour a - a +2 cloak of preservation (worn) v - a +4 robe of magic resistance (worn) N - the +3 large shield of Midwinter {EV+5 Str+5} (You found it on level 22 of the Dungeon) It affects your evasion (+5). It affects your strength (+5). T - a +4 robe of the Archmagi X - a cursed +2 cap (worn) Magical devices t - a wand of healing (8) u - a wand of lightning (9) y - a wand of draining K - a wand of digging (11) O - a wand of fire (1) Q - a wand of disintegration (15) Comestibles c - 4 meat rations B - a bread ration M - 3 royal jellies Scrolls b - a scroll of fear d - 3 scrolls of identify o - a scroll of detect curse s - 4 scrolls of teleportation R - 2 scrolls of remove curse V - a scroll of blinking Jewellery h - an uncursed ring of wizardry n - an uncursed ring of protection from magic q - the ring "Shreyr" (left hand) {rPois rC+ Int+3} (You found it on level 1 of the Shoals) [ring of poison resistance] It affects your intelligence (+3). It protects you from cold. A - a +4 ring of dexterity (right hand) G - an uncursed amulet of resist mutation H - a +4 ring of strength I - the ring of Utagunun {rElec AC+4} (You bought it in a shop on level 23 of the Dungeon) [ring of protection] It affects your AC (+4). It insulates you from electricity. P - a +3 ring of strength Y - the amulet of Chiewk (around neck) {Gourm EV+7 Int+2 Acc+2} (You found it on level 5 of the Shoals) [amulet of the gourmand] It affects your evasion (+7). It affects your intelligence (+2). It affects your accuracy (+2). Potions e - 8 potions of healing k - a potion of agility l - a potion of resistance w - a potion of heal wounds F - a potion of invisibility Books Z - a book of Spatial Translocations Spells Type Level *Apportation Translocation 1 Portal Projectile Translocation 2 *Blink Translocation 2 Recall Summoning/Translocation 3 Teleport Other Translocation 4 Control Teleport Enchantment/Translocation 4 *Teleport Self Translocation 5 Magical staves p - a staff of enchantment Miscellaneous f - a decaying rune of Zot i - a barnacled rune of Zot j - a legendary deck of changes {drawn: 6} m - a silver rune of Zot W - an ornate deck of changes You have 1602 experience left. Skills: + Level 15 Fighting + Level 19 Maces & Flails - Level 8 Throwing + Level 17 Dodging - Level 4 Stealth - Level 1 Stabbing - Level 1 Shields + Level 3 Traps & Doors - Level 6 Unarmed Combat + Level 16 Spellcasting - Level 8 Conjurations + Level 7 Enchantments - Level 4 Summonings - Level 10 Necromancy - Level 5 Translocations - Level 2 Fire Magic - Level 3 Air Magic - Level 12 Invocations - Level 2 Evocations You have 10 spell levels left. You know the following spells: Your Spells Type Power Success Level a - Apportation Tloc #####..... Excellent 1 b - Magic Dart Conj ##### Excellent 1 c - Blink Tloc N/A Excellent 2 d - Repel Missiles Air/Ench #####..... Excellent 2 e - Summon Small Mammals Summ ##### Excellent 1 f - Pain Necr ##### Excellent 1 g - Dispel Undead Necr #######.. Excellent 4 h - Abjuration Summ #####..... Excellent 3 i - Sticky Flame Fire/Conj #####.... Great 4 j - Vampiric Draining Necr #######... Excellent 3 k - Selective Amnesia Ench N/A Excellent 4 l - Teleport Self Tloc N/A Good 5 m - Haste Ench ######... Fair 6 n - Berserker Rage Ench N/A Excellent 3 o - Swiftness Air/Ench #####..... Excellent 2 p - Iskenderun's Mystic Conj ######... Excellent 4 Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations Branches: Dungeon (27/27) Temple (0/1) D:5 Orc (4/4) D:11 Elf (7/7) Orc:3 Lair (6/8) D:8 Swamp (5/5) Lair:4 Shoals (5/5) Lair:6 Slime (0/6) Lair:6 Hive (2/2) D:16 Vault (8/8) D:18 Blade (1/1) Vault:6 Crypt (5/5) Vault:3 Tomb (0/3) Crypt:2 Zot (0/5) D:27 Dis: Hell:1 Geh: Hell:1 Coc: Hell:1 Tar: Hell:1 Altars: Fedhas Makhleb Xom Zin Jiyva Shops: D:8: * D:23: = D:24: ! Orc:2: % Elf:1: * Elf:4: = Elf:5: [ Elf:7: % Shoals:1: ( Shoals:3: * Shoals:4: ! Vault:6: * Vault:7: ? Portals: Labyrinth: D:24 Hell: D:21 D:22 D:23 D:25 D:26 D:27 Abyss: D:22 D:23 D:25 Pan: D:23 D:24 D:26 Annotations D:10 exclusion: 6 freezing vapour clouds Elf:6 exclusion: 2 ice statues Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations You are too large for most types of armour. You have a very fast metabolism. You can tolerate rotten meat. You have tough skin (AC +1). You have a pair of large horns on your head. Your muscles are strong (Str +2).

You might want to affix freezing (cast freezing aura, read a scroll of vorpalisation) on that GSC. Freezing is particularly nice in Zot, as it slows non-white draconians.

tcjsavannah wrote:Alright, I've gotten my Ogre CK three runes and cleared out levels 1-27. So the big question is: does he have what it takes to tackle Zot, or do I need to beef him up more? After the initial randart drought, I've had quite a few, but I've never gotten any weapon better than the good ol' spiked club.
Code:
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.7.1-1-g7ce9b19 character file. Ogrethorpe the Bludgeoner (Ogre Chaos Knight) Turns: 92276, Time: 17:31:17 HP 221/221 AC 12 Str 26 Exp: 25/737470 (1602), need: 88079 MP 42/42 EV 30 Int 19 God: Makhleb [******] Gold 4943 SH 0 Dex 18 Spells: 16 memorised, 10 levels left Res.Fire : . . . See Invis. : . S - +5,+9 giant spiked club Res.Cold : + . . Warding : . v - +4 robe {MR} Life Prot.: . . . Conserve : + (shield restricted) Res.Poison: + Res.Corr. : + X - +2 cap (curse) Res.Elec. : . Clarity : . a - +2 cloak {rCorr, Cons} Spirit.Shd: . Stasis : . (gloves unavailable) Sust.Abil.: . . Rnd.Telep. : . (boots unavailable) Res.Mut. : . Ctrl.Telep.: . Y - amulet of Chiewk {Gourm EV+7 Int+2 Acc+2} Res.Rott. : . Levitation : . A - +4 ring of dexterity Gourmand : + Ctrl.Flight: . q - ring "Shreyr" {rPois rC+ Int+3} @: quick, swift, extremely resistant to hostile enchantments, stealthy A: unfitting armour, horns 3, fast metabolism 2, saprovore 1, tough skin 1, Str +2 a: Minor Destruction, Lesser Servant of Makhleb, Major Destruction, Greater Servant of Makhleb, Renounce Religion You are on level 27 of the Dungeon. You worship Makhleb. Makhleb is exalted by your worship. You are not hungry. You have visited 11 branches of the dungeon, and seen 71 of its levels. You have visited 1 Labyrinth. You have visited 2 portal chambers: bailey, wizlab. You have collected 7502 gold pieces. You have spent 2579 gold pieces at shops. Inventory: Hand weapons r - a +0,+5 orcish great mace of holy wrath C - the spear "Ficighipp" {holy, rC- MR EV+3 Dex+3} (You found it on level 8 of the Vaults) It has been blessed by the Shining One to cause great damage to the undead and demons. It affects your evasion (+3). It affects your dexterity (+3). It makes you vulnerable to cold. It increases your resistance to enchantments. D - the +3,+2 quick blade "Uxeesaust" {stab, MR SInv} (You acquired it on level 2 of the Shoals) It inflicts extra damage upon your enemies. It increases your resistance to enchantments. It enhances your eyesight. S - a +5,+9 giant spiked club (weapon) U - the +8,+8 bow of Krishna "Sharnga" {speed, Dex+3 SInv} (You found it in a Labyrinth) Attacks with this weapon take half as long as usual. It affects your dexterity (+3). It enhances your eyesight. It once belonged to a foreign god. It works best with special arrows which are not generally available. Missiles g - 23 runed arrows x - 3 +0 large rocks (quivered) z - 10 +5 javelins E - 14 +4 darts of flame L - 6 +0 throwing nets Armour a - a +2 cloak of preservation (worn) v - a +4 robe of magic resistance (worn) N - the +3 large shield of Midwinter {EV+5 Str+5} (You found it on level 22 of the Dungeon) It affects your evasion (+5). It affects your strength (+5). T - a +4 robe of the Archmagi X - a cursed +2 cap (worn) Magical devices t - a wand of healing (8) u - a wand of lightning (9) y - a wand of draining K - a wand of digging (11) O - a wand of fire (1) Q - a wand of disintegration (15) Comestibles c - 4 meat rations B - a bread ration M - 3 royal jellies Scrolls b - a scroll of fear d - 3 scrolls of identify o - a scroll of detect curse s - 4 scrolls of teleportation R - 2 scrolls of remove curse V - a scroll of blinking Jewellery h - an uncursed ring of wizardry n - an uncursed ring of protection from magic q - the ring "Shreyr" (left hand) {rPois rC+ Int+3} (You found it on level 1 of the Shoals) [ring of poison resistance] It affects your intelligence (+3). It protects you from cold. A - a +4 ring of dexterity (right hand) G - an uncursed amulet of resist mutation H - a +4 ring of strength I - the ring of Utagunun {rElec AC+4} (You bought it in a shop on level 23 of the Dungeon) [ring of protection] It affects your AC (+4). It insulates you from electricity. P - a +3 ring of strength Y - the amulet of Chiewk (around neck) {Gourm EV+7 Int+2 Acc+2} (You found it on level 5 of the Shoals) [amulet of the gourmand] It affects your evasion (+7). It affects your intelligence (+2). It affects your accuracy (+2). Potions e - 8 potions of healing k - a potion of agility l - a potion of resistance w - a potion of heal wounds F - a potion of invisibility Books Z - a book of Spatial Translocations Spells Type Level *Apportation Translocation 1 Portal Projectile Translocation 2 *Blink Translocation 2 Recall Summoning/Translocation 3 Teleport Other Translocation 4 Control Teleport Enchantment/Translocation 4 *Teleport Self Translocation 5 Magical staves p - a staff of enchantment Miscellaneous f - a decaying rune of Zot i - a barnacled rune of Zot j - a legendary deck of changes {drawn: 6} m - a silver rune of Zot W - an ornate deck of changes You have 1602 experience left. Skills: + Level 15 Fighting + Level 19 Maces & Flails - Level 8 Throwing + Level 17 Dodging - Level 4 Stealth - Level 1 Stabbing - Level 1 Shields + Level 3 Traps & Doors - Level 6 Unarmed Combat + Level 16 Spellcasting - Level 8 Conjurations + Level 7 Enchantments - Level 4 Summonings - Level 10 Necromancy - Level 5 Translocations - Level 2 Fire Magic - Level 3 Air Magic - Level 12 Invocations - Level 2 Evocations You have 10 spell levels left. You know the following spells: Your Spells Type Power Success Level a - Apportation Tloc #####..... Excellent 1 b - Magic Dart Conj ##### Excellent 1 c - Blink Tloc N/A Excellent 2 d - Repel Missiles Air/Ench #####..... Excellent 2 e - Summon Small Mammals Summ ##### Excellent 1 f - Pain Necr ##### Excellent 1 g - Dispel Undead Necr #######.. Excellent 4 h - Abjuration Summ #####..... Excellent 3 i - Sticky Flame Fire/Conj #####.... Great 4 j - Vampiric Draining Necr #######... Excellent 3 k - Selective Amnesia Ench N/A Excellent 4 l - Teleport Self Tloc N/A Good 5 m - Haste Ench ######... Fair 6 n - Berserker Rage Ench N/A Excellent 3 o - Swiftness Air/Ench #####..... Excellent 2 p - Iskenderun's Mystic Conj ######... Excellent 4 Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations Branches: Dungeon (27/27) Temple (0/1) D:5 Orc (4/4) D:11 Elf (7/7) Orc:3 Lair (6/8) D:8 Swamp (5/5) Lair:4 Shoals (5/5) Lair:6 Slime (0/6) Lair:6 Hive (2/2) D:16 Vault (8/8) D:18 Blade (1/1) Vault:6 Crypt (5/5) Vault:3 Tomb (0/3) Crypt:2 Zot (0/5) D:27 Dis: Hell:1 Geh: Hell:1 Coc: Hell:1 Tar: Hell:1 Altars: Fedhas Makhleb Xom Zin Jiyva Shops: D:8: * D:23: = D:24: ! Orc:2: % Elf:1: * Elf:4: = Elf:5: [ Elf:7: % Shoals:1: ( Shoals:3: * Shoals:4: ! Vault:6: * Vault:7: ? Portals: Labyrinth: D:24 Hell: D:21 D:22 D:23 D:25 D:26 D:27 Abyss: D:22 D:23 D:25 Pan: D:23 D:24 D:26 Annotations D:10 exclusion: 6 freezing vapour clouds Elf:6 exclusion: 2 ice statues Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations You are too large for most types of armour. You have a very fast metabolism. You can tolerate rotten meat. You have tough skin (AC +1). You have a pair of large horns on your head. Your muscles are strong (Str +2).

You definitely have a possible winner, but you will need at least 1, and probably 2 levels of fire resistance for orbs of fire in Zot. Hopefully, you have a ring of rF somewhere - check all the glowing robes in the dungeon (if you haven't yet) for one with rF. You luckily have a ring with rElec which I would suggest wearing instead of the Dex ring in Zot for storm dragons, black dracs, and electric golems. Also, you should brand your club with either freezing brand or regular vorpal.

You'll also hopefully want a way to block mutations from Orbs of Fire, either from maybe another randart with rMut or a potion of cure mutation. You do have an amulet of resist mutation already, but your current amulet is way too good to take off.

While quite nice, indeed, that amulet far from way too good to take off; sure, it's nice for dodging, spellcasting, hitting, and eating, but orbs of fire have unavoidable fireballs in addition to their bolts of fire, so it's less good in that respect; overall I'd prefer rMut, seeing as you already have a cloak of preservation.

As for regular vorpal, don't do that; it's less damage and doesn't slow draconians.

As for rings, why even bother with the plain +stat rings? {rElec AC+4}, for example, is generally better than 4 dex, anyway.

I've been digging OgVM lately just because VM in general have a much easier early game, but Hunters are pretty wonderful too. The reliance on large rocks is a little annoying though, I've had them all break before D:5 and at that point you're basically just a worse Gladiator. Which is a good reason to melee everything that can't hurt you

MrMisterMonkey wrote:You might want to affix freezing (cast freezing aura, read a scroll of vorpalisation) on that GSC. Freezing is particularly nice in Zot, as it slows non-white draconians.

I have not found a scroll of vorpalisation yet - I've found tons of Enchant Weapon II (and even III) though.

MrMisterMonkey wrote:As for rings, why even bother with the plain +stat rings? {rElec AC+4}, for example, is generally better than 4 dex, anyway.

I was worried about evasion for so long in this game that I just never took off that Ring of Dex, even after I got the two other randart rings.

RangerC wrote:You definitely have a possible winner, but you will need at least 1, and probably 2 levels of fire resistance for orbs of fire in Zot. Hopefully, you have a ring of rF somewhere - check all the glowing robes in the dungeon (if you haven't yet) for one with rF. You luckily have a ring with rElec which I would suggest wearing instead of the Dex ring in Zot for storm dragons, black dracs, and electric golems. Also, you should brand your club with either freezing brand or regular vorpal.

I know I have at least one ring of rF in the hive. All the robes I've gotten have either been MR or rC, but I didn't ID all of them I saw in places like the Orcish Mines.

What would be the best place for me to go in order to search for a scroll of vorpalise weapon? Hell?

tcjsavannah wrote:I have not found a scroll of vorpalisation yet - I've found tons of Enchant Weapon II (and even III) though.

Do you have a Book of Tukima? There's a spell in there that vorpalises weapons. I'm not sure if that will work though..

What would be the best place for me to go in order to search for a scroll of vorpalise weapon? Hell?

Pandemonium. Hell doesn't have much stuff. I don't suggest going to either of those places with your ogre.

Success! Ogrethorpe escaped with the Orb. I'll post the wrapup in the YAVP section, but thanks to everyone who provided pointers throughout this game!

The Tavern

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